British bid to break 1000mph over after firm’s collapse

December 7, 2018

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Project Bloodhound, the British-led attempt to create the world's first land vehicle capable of breaking the 1,000mph barrier, has been scrapped.

The announcement was made by administrators following the collapse of Bloodhound Programme Ltd in October after it failed to attract new investment – as first reported by Sky News.

Image: Bloodhound was powered by a Eurofighter jet engine and did some testing in Cornwall

FRP Advisory was called in when it became clear efforts to find an additional £25m to fund the record bid would fall short.

The company was aiming, with the help of current land speed record holder Andy Green, to break his existing 763mph (1,228kmh) top speed set 20 years ago in supersonic car Thrust SSC.

Early tests saw it easily reach 200mph at Cornwall Airport in Newquay.

The additional money would have been used to take the jet-powered vehicle to the next stage of its development, including trials at 500mph, 800mph and finally 1,000mph.

The man behind the wheel of supersonic car. Andy Green gives us a closer look at the bloodhound SSC. — Image: Andy Green was hoping to break his own record

The project had a number of prominent sponsors, such as Rolls-Royce, the aircraft engine-maker, which helped the team operate the Eurofighter Typhoon EJ200 jet engine.

Rolls-Royce also helped with the aerodynamics, while Rolex created custom-made instruments for Bloodhound's cockpit.

Bloodhound is expected to exceed 1000mph — Video: October 2017: Bloodhound: The facts and figures

But joint administrator Andrew Sheridan said on Friday: "Since the company entered into administration we have worked tirelessly with the directors to identify a suitable individual or organisation who could take the project forward.